Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-06-01
MEATH THE CRESCENT.
Customs of Religion, Marriage, So
cial Intercourse and Behavior.


The Koran has fixed the hours that
must be conSecrated to prayers. These
prayers, namaz, are five in number.
The most solemn is the morning prayer;
1t is the sabah namizi; it is uttered
after the dawn, Just before the rising
OF the sun. The second Is the midday
prayer. Guile namazi. The third, jkindy
namazi, must be offered Just before the
setting of the sun. The evening
prayer, aacham namazi, is uttered lust
before the shadows conceal the horizon.
Finally the last and fifth prayer, yatcy
namazi, is uttered in the interval after
sundown and just before dawn.
The hour Of prayers is regularly
proclaimed to the faithful by the
imams, called mueZzins. who walk
around the balcony Of the minarets
singing in melancholy voice this un-
varying litany: "God, the most high,
here proclaim that there is no God
but God. Iproclalm that Mohammed
IS the prophet of God. Come to the
temple Of salvation, Great Godl &c!
the most high! There is no God bus
God!" Blind men are usually selected
for mueZzlns, or at least imams that
suffer from confirmed myopia. so that
they cannot throw lnQuisItive glances
toward the women that may be PROM
enading on the terraces of the houses.
Christians surround their observance
Of prayer with kind Of mystery or of
reserve that the Musselmans know
absolutely nothing of.
In whatever place devout Osmanli
may find himself, whether in his house,
in the streets, in public square, doing
business or on visit, as soon as the
hour of the namaz is announced he
makes his religious preparations, places
under bis knees small rug, or, In de-
fault OF which a handkerchief, turns
his face toward Mecca, places his arms
in the shape of a cross upon his breast
or places them to his forehead, pros
trates himself, then rises-all this
slowly and with strict observance OF
rules. If he is in the street he does
not permit himself to be distracted and
disconnected by anything, not even by
the indIscreet curiosity OF the Euro
pean, who looks at him astonished by
this novel sight, but who generally
has no desire to ridicule It; for this
worship under the open sky, disregard
ing social conventi0nalities, indifferent
to whatever may be said. has some
thing grand and sacred about it that
banishes all rallery and inspires respect.
Marriages receives scarcely more at
tention among the Turks than birth
and death, and there is but little en-
barrassment from the administrative
fvrmalitles that precede and accompany
this solemn act in the West. There are
no bans, 10 announcements, no regis
trations. \ man obtains wife Just as
he would buy bouquet; but neither
the buyer nor the seller. nor the inter
mediary asks for 4 receipt. As it is
forbidden a man to enter the harem OF
another (eyen if he were near rela-
tive of the latter TO see young wO-
man and talk with her, there are no
marriages for loyeand no engagements
One father meets another father and
says to him: "YOu have 4 son and
have daughter, IL the mother of your
son knows my daughter. let US strike q
bargain; if she does not know her, let
them see each other and let Us close up
the business" The conditions are dis
cussed, the dowry haggled over, and
then all the arrangements between the
parents are made and the young people
introduced to each other.
Let US add in passing that among
US marriages that are contracted in the
great capItols Of Europe. especially in
Paris, do not depart far from this pio-
gram. In France. hewever, a man is
still allowed to behold the object for
the acquisition of which negotiations
are in progress. In Turkey this IS for
bidden. there marriage is a lottery iE-
deed. Turkish girls are promised usu |
ally when they are very young, even al
tender age, when they are only 3 or
years old. If the young bride should
happen to die before her marriage, or,
be required for the Sultan's harem-
for it may be promised that this is
case that breaks all engagements, and
is esteemed as great honor by parents
the intended husband is not expected
to weep over what he loses, for he has
never seen 1t.
When the young girl reaches her
twelfth or thirteenth year, she receives
the nuptial blessing, and the husband
cannot see the face of his wife until
after that ceremony. No woman, not
even the wife, takes part in the SOL
emnity of marriage, which is effected
by proxy, delegated to an uncle or to
an elder brother, often with a full
beard, who plays the roll of the bride.
The parents Of the couple sign the con-
tract before the imam of their quarter,
In the presence of few friends, who
act as witnesses. The nuptlals are then
celebrated by the families with a calm
ness and gravity that would be as
suitable for funeral as for a wedding.
The sexes never mingle at these fes-
tivities. The men take their pleasure
in silence In their selamlik; the women
a little more noisily-it is but natural
in the haremlik.